AN Read it and learn something about psychology:)
Thank everyone who reviewed and here is a psychological phenomenon. People in a crowd are far less likely to help someone in need or contribute to a cause they believe in. It is called the bystander effect, it boils down to the idea that "I" personally don't need to do anything because other people will. The example that often goes with this term is the rape and murder of a woman in New York. It supposedly, it's an example that I have heard used from many sources and by many teachers but cannot find proof, a girl was being attack in an alley beside a large apartment building.
27 people heard this attack taking place, none could see it, yet not a single person called the police or went outside to investigate. The woman died with 27 able bodied witnesses listening to the crime. This thought that an individual does not need to get involved in something even if they believe in it is a false sense of security. I am sure more than 100,000 people believe that SOPA should not be passed; the issue is getting them to actually sign the petition. Type in to a search engine "SOPA 2014 whitehouse" and it should be the first link.
Over 30,000 signers are still needed, so every single person who can sign will help. I have signed the petition and I urge readers to as well. It is important to stand up for what you believe in and be willing to fight for it. While I do not enjoy getting involved in politics (psychology and politics are an interesting mix) SOPA is currently looking directly at Fan related material. They will be able to un-discriminately delete anything that is viewed as using copy-righted information.
This site is well known, and the material is in the Website name. It will be one of the first to be located and attacked, but most assuredly not the last. I have just discovered writing and I have no intention of losing this new found pastime. Even if you personally do not write, sign the petition to protect the stories you enjoy and want to see completed. Feel free to reuse this author's note above (nothing below the first line break), simply post my penname with it. – Louis the Gator
I do not own Naruto or One Piece; no money is made from this story.
"We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin." ― André Berthiaume
It had been a long week. Had it really been only seven days since his conversation with the fox? It felt like an eternity. Faced with the lies that were the foundation of his existence Naruto was no longer sure what he felt. To learn that he was not from Konoha was devastating to Naruto. If his village was not his home then where was? Desperate for answers Naruto had frantically returned to the Konoha Archive Library, looking for anything that had to do with his last name. Only to come up empty handed.
Nowhere in the entirety of the Konoha Library was his family name so much as mentioned. He had finally found the information he so craved while sitting in his own apartment. How ironic, that Naruto's family history was hidden under a loose floor board within the home of the sole remaining member of the clan. The Uzumaki were from an island off the coast of the Land of Fire called the Land of Whirlpools. The scroll he had purchased from Tenzo had been written by his ancestors. There was little historical information written about in the scroll but it had been something.
The scroll stated that the Uzumaki valued knowledge above all else and started to accumulate it. They had created their version of Fūinjutsu not as a means of battle but as a way to record history. The Uzumaki had started off as a clan of scribes. Scrolls created during the Warring States Period, the period before the rise of ninja villages, were likely to be destroyed during raids and were not made to last. The Uzumaki where known for the longevity and were capable of living for longer than a century.
So the Uzumaki tried to find a more permanent fashion of storing information. They found that by mixing chakra into ink it was possible to increase the lifespan of scrolls. It was only later that the Uzumaki found that they could use this method for battle. This new fighting style was called Fūinjutsu.
After the destruction of the land of Whirlpools during the Third Great Ninja War, the only time Whirlpool is mentioned in the entirety of the Konoha Library, the survivors spread throughout the elemental nations taking their techniques with them. The author of Naruto's scroll was one of those refugees and spoke about this history while explaining the beginnings of Fūinjutsu.
Each symbol used in Fūinjutsu represented a word, and through that a function. Fūinjutsu as a whole, worked as a circuit for chakra. Each symbol caused the chakra to react in different ways. For instance, on an explosive tag the symbol "explode" turned chakra into a violent shockwave that exploded outwards. Surrounding the symbol "explode" other symbols could be added to change the nature of that explosion. For instance adding more "explode" symbols would increase the strength, while placing the symbol "focus" would cause the blast to travel in a specific direction.
This ability to change the very nature of the seal by what symbols were placed on it made Fūinjutsu a very powerful and versatile art but also difficult. Placing two symbols that were incompatible such as "explode" and "stop" side by side in a circuit could cause the seal to fail. This failure of a circuit was often dangerous because the chakra in the seal was unpredictable. It might explode or it might send anything within a certain distance through space and time leaving everything else behind.
The most obvious difference in how Modern Fūinjutsu and Uzumaki Fūinjutsu worked was the path the chakra took through the seal. In modern Fūinjutsu chakra flowed in a straight line from the chakra source down the circuit. This allowed for precise control over what was going to occur and allowed safety catches to be placed in case of failure.
The Uzumaki, true to their name used spiral circuits with the chakra being applied either at the center or the outside edge and then radiating out through the rest of the seal. This allowed for longer sealing circuits to be created in a smaller space. This increase in circuit length allowed the chakra in the seal to be influenced by more symbols allowing for more precise combinations. This increased distance allowed for more powerful sealing techniques.
The fact that Uzumaki Fūinjutsu was created as a form of calligraphy and not a weapon was another difference from Modern Fūinjutsu. As a form of calligraphy, Uzumaki Fūinjutsu had far more symbols then Modern Fūinjutsu which allowed a Seal user to be more descriptive in his seals. Instead of writing "explode" over and over again the Uzumaki could write "Explode with greater force." This also formed a tighter circuit, as less chakra was lost as it passed from symbol to symbol, but it had its drawbacks. As a written language it came with grammar rules.
These rules changed the shape of the actuals symbol minutely depending on wither the symbol in front of it or the type of action required. For instance: a curve instead of a straight line if a t came after a i, an accent that ascends diagonally from left to right if the verb followed a noun, or a subtle variation in the ending of a word such as moves instead of move. This is what made Uzumaki Fūinjutsu so dangerous; instead of simply worrying about conflicting seals a seal user had to worry about the grammar variations that if used incorrectly would cause the seal to fail.
Learning a new language took time, but the scroll was very well written and Naruto was hooked. Yet he was only about 6 feet (1.82m) into the scroll meaning he wasn't even close to being finished. Naruto didn't mind, this language was the only connection Naruto had to his family and he guarded it zealously. The blonde was fearful if anyone found out he had it they would try to take it from him. After finding out where his clan was from Naruto had wanted to run and never look back.
It had been such a freeing feeling. To realize he was no longer bound to Konoha, that it did not matter what the villagers thought because he would no longer be there. He had spent a few hours planning on how to escape only to discover, when a clone dissipated, that Uzushiogakure had been destroyed before he was even born. If finding out Konoha was not his home had shattered him, finding out his hope of freedom was impossible had left the young blonde hollow.
"Home" is where a person belongs, and Naruto no longer felt he belonged in Konoha. Yet, his clan was destroyed and he was stuck. Without a village to protect him Naruto knew he would only end up right back in Konoha as a prisoner if he ever tried to leave. He doubted he would even make it out of the Land of Fire. After talking to the Kyūbi Naruto's perception of Konoha had changed. It was no longer his village; it was his prison.
That was why he was currently wandering the very outskirts of Konoha, he had left many shadow clones within Konoha to continue reading at the Archive and practicing the many symbols of his clan. If the clones happened to confuse the guards he suspected were watching him all the better. It had been a chore earlier in the week to acquire all the inks and scrolls he needed to practice, bought at many of the Ninja Supply Stores at civilian prices.
Naruto was wary of anyone finding out he was practicing sealing, it was a dangerous art and it would raise questions he did not want to answer. The Third had refused to even tell Naruto he had a clan. What would the old man do if he figure out Naruto discovered the information on his own? While the Hokage was rarely angry with Naruto the few times it had happened left Naruto with a healthy fear of the old man's wrath.
Getting out of the village had been easy, the chunin guarding the entrance were too busy with arriving dignitaries to even think about asking the transformed blonde any questions, let alone stop him from leaving. Being outside of the village proper was calming. Off the path and among the trees, to avoid detection, Naruto enjoyed a stillness not found in a bustling village.
Naruto had rarely strayed outside of Konoha's gates as a child, not from a lack of trying but because the guards wouldn't let him leave. As a kid the guards told him it was for his safety. Now Naruto looked at Konoha's walls as if they were the bars of a glorified cell. They did not keep anyone out, they kept him in. Currently, he was beyond even the training grounds on the very boundary of where Konoha ended and the great forest of the Land of Fire began. As the boy walked further and further into the forest he began to look for a clearing big enough for him to try and use his chains.
This new found technique was probably the only positive outcome that talking to the fox had given Naruto. While conversation had been informative most of it had been painful. It took a lot of concentration but Naruto was capable of molding his chakra and then focusing it into a certain area of his body to produce what for a lack of a better term were chakra chains. It had taken him a couple days to recreate the technique but he could finally summon them.
Inside Konoha Naruto had to be careful were he summoned these chains, they were way more destructive then he had first thought. While the chains had simply bounced off the Kyūbi, Naruto had punched a hole through his wall the first time he had succeeded in making one. Naruto was hoping to find a big open space he would have to himself.
He had thought about using one of the training grounds but was afraid he would be discovered while trying to learn how to control the chains. Jumping up into a tree he saw that there was a clearing up ahead of him. As he broke the tree line he was unprepared for what greeted him.
In front of the blonde was a dilapidated compound with high walls that surrounded a central building. He was currently located on what had to be one of the sides to the compound. The blonde could have jumped over the wall but he was unsure if the buildings on the other side would be able to hold his weight. Curious, Naruto slowly made his way around the wall until he found the entrance. The building inside were in even worse shape than the exterior walls.
However, what caught the boy's eye was the large sign, crooked and covered in dirt, a simple spiral that ended in a circle. "The symbol of the Uzumaki, my clan," thought Naruto in awe. He simply stood there dumbstruck by what he was seeing. Naruto was unaware that anything to do with his clan could be found in the Land of Fire. Slowly, as if any sudden movement would dispel these ruins like a genjutsu, Naruto approached what use to be the main building.
It appeared that the compound had been abandoned for a very long time. Plants had invaded the courtyard and trees almost 3 feet thick could were growing between uprooted stones. This place, much like Naruto had been abandoned and for the first time since meeting the fox Naruto felt at home. It was funny that the boy felt more at peace here than he ever did in Konoha and for the first time since his discovery Naruto felt hope.
Entering the main building by a whole in the wall, Naruto entered a room decorated with masks. "It appears to be a shrine," Naruto thought as he approached the multitude of masks. Unlike the surrounding buildings most of the Masks were intact. Each one different but all demonic in feature: Some had elongated teeth, others had faces set in a scowl, but the one that caught his attention the most was one of the masks close to the middle. It was a white mask, the hair and horns were both a dusky grey. The teeth and sclera of the eye were black.
It was one of the simpler masks. It was not as colorful or as evil looking as some of the others. Yet, it exuded a presence of power and despair. Naruto simply admired the masks; standing in a deserted and rotting building looking at the different portrayals of evil. Each mask a personification of what the artist viewed as wrong with the world. It wasn't so difficult to see each was connected to an emotion: Hate, lust, greed, jealousy, and many more were present in the expression stuck on each masks face. Each mask depicted a character defined by that emotion and denied the presence of the others. It was a joke and impossibility. It was unhuman.
Naruto had always been fascinated with masks, they hid a person's identity, and while wearing one even a demon could be treated normally. It had occurred when he was younger. The Third Hokage had given him an ANBU mask and small jacket as a gift for his birthday. After putting them on and playing ninja for a short time Naruto had left to return home wearing his gifts. His birthday fell on the date of the Kyūbi festival, a day of memory for all those that died in the attack, and it was the day that people made their dislike of him the most known.
Villagers would yell and scream at him and chase him down the road, only to give up when he rounded a corner. He was never allowed to join in the festivities, for reasons he now understood. Yet as Naruto made his way home that night people treated him like he was normal. As if he was just a child playing ninja.
They smiled at him and gave him food. Naruto had not removed the mask for over a week and it was the only time Konoha had ever accepted him. This was the power of a mask, anonymity. No one knew who you were so no judged you. With a mask no one could hurt you. Nonetheless, as time passed the villagers discovered his ruse. So with the removal of the real mask Naruto had donned another less noticeable one; a protective barrier between the blonde and the world, his smile. This big toothy grin was his shield. It made people overlook him and it predated his act.
The "smile" had become a defense mechanism. He smiled to hide his pain: not because he found enjoyment in things. The smile dictated the performance of a fool. The idea of being a happy go lucky idiot that was untouchable by the attacks of others was born from that false grin. They fit together so well that Naruto was unable to separate them.
It was why even after deciding to try and make up for all the time he had spent goofing off as a child, Naruto still could not stop acting how like an idiot to the world. The smile caused him to react; caused him to claim false determination in a hope he no longer believed in. The mask had become a part of the blonde, he no longer had to consciously act it simply happened.
The mask had taken on a mind of its own and removing it was proving to be more difficult than Naruto had first thought. Facial expression, favorite phrases, and emotional reactions: all pieces of the part Naruto had played for so long that they were no longer an act. They were no longer lines of a script but parts of his psyche. It was taking conscious effort to prevent this mask from taking precedent. Naruto now had to think about not being a fool.
Naruto had only noticed this fact when he had been approached by Jiraiya two days before. The meeting had taken place at Ichiraku's again but it was right after Naruto had discovered Whirlpool was little more than ruins. Jiraiya had approached the blond and apologized and tried to buy his way into Naruto's good graces. Naruto was in no condition to deal with the sage. The fact was the boy didn't even acknowledge the sage's existence. He finished his meal paid and turned to leave.
Yet as the sage called his name, Naruto had simply smiled and agreed. He agreed to avoid confrontation and it angered Naruto. It angered him that he let Konoha hold such power over him. That he cared so deeply about what people thought about him that his first reaction was to simply agree. That this action of agreement only confirmed what stereotype's a person saw in him. Even when his actions went in direct opposition to those stereotype's people simply wrote those instances off as unimportant.
That no matter how hard he tried Konoha would only see what it wanted to see. Even Jiraiya had simply thought that the chase had been a fluke. The sage was currently instructing a shadow clone in the theory of using the Kyūbi chakra; that being able to consciously draw on that power would be able to help the blonde beat Neji. Not that the clone would be able to draw on the chakra, only the real Naruto could do that. Or so the blonde had figured out while messing with his chains.
So in a sense Naruto was only humoring the sage. Jiraiya seemed to feel guilty about whatever he had done to the seal. Naruto had checked after talking to the fox only to find that the additional symbols had vanished. Whatever the sage had done had returned Naruto's previous level of chakra so he couldn't complain. Nevertheless, Naruto could not understand the sannin's continued interest in him.
Jiraiya had finished checking the seal; his duty was done. So why had the sage sought Naruto out to continue training him. Did Jiraiya feel bad about whatever happened to Ebisu? Who the blonde had not seen hide or tail of since the day his clone had been at the hot springs. It was unnerving, that a sannin had taken such an intense interest in Naruto right as he had come upon this change of allegiance. Although it was unlikely that even Konoha was capable of passively reading minds, Yamanaka aside. It made Naruto all the more jumpy to leave.
Naruto would have been happy to just continue down this line of thought had it not been that he sensed he was no longer alone. A slithering sound caught his ear and Naruto instinctively jumped back out the whole he had entered through. Where he had just been sitting a large amount of sand had gathered and was now rushing towards the blonde.
Dread immediately formed in the boy's gut as he recognized the jutsu. Once outside, Naruto quickly turned to face the newcomer. With dark lined eyes and love written on the left side of his forehead there was no mistaking who the red haired boy was. Stoic as ever the red head did not even seem to move as the sand slowly floated back towards him and coiled around his feet.
"Gaara wasn't it? Why are you attacking me?" Naruto ask while trying to think of a way out of this dangerous situation. Gaara had been able to take down Lee, someone who was much faster than Sasuke, without too much difficulty. It was also Gaara's bloodthirsty behavior that had Naruto on edge. The boy was obviously not here to talk. If the sadistic grin on his face was anything to go by. As if in pain, Gaara grabbed his forehead and said," Mother can since him, she wants your blood!"
Confused by what the red head meant Naruto was unprepared for a voice that resonated through his skull, "Shukaku." The red head seemed to hear this and began to become more and more agitated. "Show me your blood!" and with that shout the read head's sand came to life once more and rushed Naruto. Naruto immediately dodged the sand and threw one of the few kunai he had thought to bring with him. The sand immediately altered its course and caught the kunai and again surged forward in an avalanche of deadly particles.
Naruto thought to himself, "regular attacks will not work against this guy; and I am not fast enough to bypass his defense. I will have to out maneuver him." Retreating into the forest, Naruto did not want to harm the shrine he had just discovered, Naruto immediately began to try and think up a strategy of how to defeat the homicidal red-head. Looking back over his shoulder he was pleased to see that Gaara was indeed following him.
"Why are you running brat? Turn and face that weak raccoon!" "There is that voice again, who is this talking to me?" "Really brat? Are you so foolish as to not recognize my voice?" "Kyūbi, since when can you talk to me?" "Your seal is set up to syphon my chakra, my consciousness and my chakra are connected it is easy to communicate with you if I so choose."
Naruto was unsure if he liked this arrangement, his mind was his safe heaven and he did not enjoy having it violated. In response the Kyūbi replied, "as if I cared about the internal angst of a child. Now hurry up and defeat the raccoon, he only has one tail!" While dodging yet another sand wave Naruto flipped into the trees and asked, "What does a tail have to do with me being able to beat him?" The fox sighed and stated, "You couldn't possibly think you were the only Jinchūriki."
Understanding dawned on Naruto. Looking back at Gaara, who was currently salivating from the mouth, Naruto realized he was not as alone as he once thought. It simply clicked that the way Gaara was treated by his squad mates was exactly like how Naruto himself was treated by Konoha, with prejudice and fear.
As the blonde continued to dodge attack after attack it became clear what needed to be done. Gathering his chakra he slowly began to condense it in his hands. The blonde had never tried to form chains this way before but with the amount of movement needed to dodge a moving mound of sand it was impractical to use his stomach or back. When he finally had enough chakra to form the chains he immediately went on the offensive and formed chakra chains from his hands.
The chains that extended from his fingers crashed into the sand and quickly dispersed it. Yet, they were not the same chains that appeared from his chest or back. These chains were much smaller and flew much faster. Gaara's sand immediately jumped to defend him but was incapable of forming a complete defense with so much of its mass so far from the red-head. As a result the chains were easily capable of penetrating the sand and striking the surprised boy behind it; trying not to hurt Gaara anymore than necessary Naruto's chains incased his opponent instead of skewering him.
As the chains snaked around the younger boy's flesh the sand immediately ceased all hostile action and returned to protect its master. It tried to force its way between the chains and Gaara. This increase in pressure, as the chains did not give, only caused the boy to be constricted more. In this fight one of Naruto's chains cut a thin line along the red head's arm. Gaara's eye's went wide at this new sensation and in response began to trash around like a snake trying to get free.
To prevent the boy from falling out of the tree he was currently in Naruto tightened his grip on the boy. Gaara let out a wail of pain, as the chains constricted around him, before finally looking up at the blond in fear. It was a look Naruto knew well. A look he himself had given many a time: a look of fearing the unknown, of not knowing how to react and fearing the worst.
It was then that Naruto realized that Gaara was in fact worst off them him. Naruto did not immediately link physical touch with pain. Yes he flinched when people touched him but that was more out of surprise then fear. Gaara on the other hand seemed to think that Naruto meant him immediate harm.
Naruto did not approach his catch, much like with the fox Naruto simply waited for Gaara to calm down on his own. It took over half an hour of just waiting as the child raged, screamed, and fought until Gaara had warn himself out. A few time Gaara tried to attack the blonde but all Naruto had to do was tighten the chakra chains and the sand would simply go right back to trying to defend.
As the sand slowly fell to the ground no longer being held afloat by Gaara's chakra, Naruto slowly retracted the chains as he approached the red head. Inch by inch the blonde got closer and closer, ready in case Gaara tried anything. Gaara, exhausted from his breakdown, did not even seem to notice the blonde was approaching. As Naruto sat down beside Gaara the red head finally noticed him and stated in fear, "Please don't kill me." In response all Naruto said was, "Kill you? Now why would I kill my baby brother?"
The idea of Naruto's mask becoming an automatic response has been proven. It is called Automaticity: fast, effortless, unintentional reaction to a stimulus. It can save resources in the brain and it often happens without "conscious" thought. For instance, a person stubs their toe. The action itself may or may not cause pain, but often before the pain stimulus even reaches the brain a person says "ouch" or curses without thought. You don't think about these things, they just happen.
The same can be said for stereotyping people. You are walking down a dark alley, "when a man in an oversized hoody steps out in front of you with his hand in his pocket." Think about this man what do you think he looks like? What are his intentions? The fact of the matter is we have no physical basis for any of conclusions made. These "guestimations" are based on an individual's prior knowledge and are used to evaluate any given situation. This Automaticity is also the basis of Social Judgments (Bigotry and racism to name a few) which can be considered how the village looks at Naruto (they degrade him because of his status as a Jinchūriki).
These processes do not involve higher cognitive function. Those functions actually often disprove Social Judgments yet are quickly given a back seat until the stereotype is proven wrong. This action of judging someone before you know them is how in all honesty before the chunin exams everyone thought Naruto was hopeless. However, often times a person will stick with the "stereotypical definitions" even after they have been proven false many times. The stereotype can be tweaked but it often maintains its original form.
Automaticity in abuse cases, like Naruto's, is the first barrier that must be cracked by the outside world. It is a shell personality that acts normal to hide the underlying issues. This false acting is what leads Sigmund Freud to create the disorder of multiple personality disorder, which to my knowledge has never actually been proven. Personality psychologists are still fighting about this as we speak. Many believe that Freud influenced his patient to believe she had more than one personality, which makes his stance flaud, can't remember her name at the moment.
The removal of this shell often leads to a breakdown. Take away this linchpin of normalcy and the underlying personality often crumbles. It takes a lot of time to prove to an abused person that the abuse is not their fault, that they did not incur the abuse for some fault of their own. This can take MONTHS or it may never happen. Personality types also affect these roles. A follower is more likely to stay in an abusive situation while a leader may be able to break out of it on his or her own. The problem is ever case is different and every person reacts differently, it's what makes humans so diverse.
I am currently reading through a chapter called "The Psychological Impact of Child Soldering" by Elisabeth Schauer and Thomas Elbert. It can be found online and showcases the repercussions of children, defined as anyone under the age of 18, being used as soldiers. It you want a real world equivalent to how impossible the Naruto verse is look it up, but I warn you it is an eye opening thing. It has abstracts of interviews with child soldiers and the psychological problems that come with children being introduced into a militia and being used on the front lines. After reading this I may never be able to look at Naruto the same again.
With the relationship between Shukaku and Kurama, they hate each other; I am actually really surprised Gaara did not seek out Naruto like he did Sasuke during the month of training. Also if Gaara had not been in his Jinchūriki form cannon Naruto would likely never have defeated him. He was nowhere near fast enough to bypass Gaara's shield and had no technique capable of penetrating it. Gaara's reaction to the cut is also plausible. Touch can be considered the most important sense for a child. Yet Gaara cannot be touched and I am beginning to wonder if before time skip he can touch others. So when he is touched he would be unable to comprehend the sensation or detect its meaning.
Also Gaara's breakdown can also occur. Children are often considered centralized but you could also consider it Narcissism. They interact with the world based on how it affects them. So when they have a breakdown, not a tantrum but a psychological breakdown. They often do not actively engage in the outside environment. They freeze, they try to escape, and they thrash around. It is often better to let the breakdown occur in full, not if there is danger of the child hurting themselves or others, because the intervention of someone trying to stop it may just make it worse.
The point about Gaara I find so interesting is him and blood. Hemophobia, fear of blood can take many forms, such as Tsunades, yet to someone who relishes the blood of others blood may take on a different meaning. In Gaara's mind blood is an anxiety release caused through murder. Therefore, Blood and death are synonymous to Gaara. So when confronted with his own blood, no matter the amount, Gaara would immediately think he is dying. Death scares Gaara, he does not want to die otherwise he would not fight back against the assassin's his father had sent.
As for the mask temple it is not specified by Sasuke or anyone else in that group how far outside the village the Mask Shrine is. Yet it can be hypothesized that it must be relatively close for the speed at which they were able to travel from Konoha to the shrine and back. Naruto not finding this shrine is a loop hole I always found entertaining. Yet I doubt he would have recognized his clan symbol before Kakashi told him what it was. This week is incredibly busy for me so I probably will not be able to update until the weekend or beginning of next week. –Louis the Gator